Humidifier



HUMIDIFIER Filed Jan. 24, 1941 G. R. SIEFKEN limsi/wan? g i June 29, 1943.'

/NTOM l 1 ATTORNEYS Patented June 29, 1943 UNTVED STATES PATENT OFFICE HUMIDIFIER George R. Siefken, New York, N. Y. Application January 24, 1941, Serial No.- 375,773

8 Claims.

This invention relates to humidiers, such as are commonly employed Ain association with heating apparatus to introduce moisture into the atmosphere of a room, and is concerned more particularly with a novel humidifier which is highly efiicient in operation and is inexpensve to construct and mantain. The Inew humidier may take various forms and, since it may be used to special advantage in connection with a steam or similar radiator, a construction suit# able for that purpose will be illustrated and described in detail for purposes of explanation.

The new hurnidier includes an open top vessel, which is preferably long and relatively narrow and holds a supply of water which may be y mounted. A perforated cover overlies the elements.

Each element includes one or more plates of porous material having an extension therefrom which enters the liquid, and fibrous material, such as blotting paper, may be advantageously used for the plates and extensions. Since the elements absorb water from the vessel, each face of each plate serves as an evaporating surface and since the plates lie close together and each may have a face area of considerable size, the total evaporating surface of a relatively small group of plates may be many times that of the surface of the liquid in the vessel. When the humidifier is mounted above a radiator, the air rising therefrom passes between the plates to take up moisture and flows out'through the openings in the cover. As the plates are closely spaced and thin streams of air ilow across their surfaces, highly eiective humidification results.

For a better understanding of the invention,

reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section through one form of humidier of the invention;

The elements are of suchl Fig. 22 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view `on the same line as-Fig. 1; f

'Figc 4 is a sectional view, similar to Fig. 3, of a modified construction;

Fig. 5 is a partial sectional View of a modified form of the new humidier; and

Fig. 6 is-V a Ysectional View on the line (if-6 of one ofY the' plates shown in Fig. 5.

vThe humidifier in the form illustrated comprises a vessel I which may be of sheet metal and is mounted ontopv of a radiator ofv which portions Il only are shown. The vessel may conveniently include aA reservoir section I2 at one end extending the full width thereof and a pair ofV trough-like extensions I3 leading from one. end of the reservoir. These extensions are separated by an' opening I4 dened by the inner Walls I5 of the extensions, an. end wall I6 of the: reservoir, and an end wall- Il which closes the ends of the extensions.. The end. wall Il andv a wall la at the end of the reservoir opposite that from, 4which the extensions lead, rise asubstantialdistance above the top of the reservoir and extensions, and. each wall is provided .with an inwardly turned flange .|.9 on which a cover 2B rests and is held in place by thumb screws 2l. Mounted` on the inner face of each ,of the 'walls I l, I8 is a bracket 22 h-avirig..pairsV of slotsfin itsy upper surfaces. The slots in the brackets `are in ,alignment and rods v23 are supportedgin opposed slots in the two brackets. Each rod lies above one of rthe extensions I3.

A vplurality of evaporating elements are mounted on ,thoseV portions of the rods overlying the extensions and, in the construction illustrated inl Fig. l, each evaporating element comprises a pair'of plates 24 of porous material which are of squareshape. There is an opening ne'arone4 corner. of 'each plate and between the plates -n'e'ar'the corner is a spacing block 25' having an 'opening in alignment with the'openingsthrough the plates, the block being secured in position in' any suitable manner, as by means of a staple 26 passing through the plates and block. The' rod 23 passes through the` openings so' that theunit` 'depends from the r'o'd'an'd the sizeof theplate is such that one* corner 2l enters the extensions of the vesselv 'below the rod.

' The plates may havel integral extensions from their lower AVVends 'entering-the liquid in the extensions of the Yvessed, but, for economy in manufacture, a tab 28 of porous material is mounted between the plates at their lower corners and is held in place by a staple 29, the tab being of the same thickness as the spacing block 25. Other spacing blocks 3U are mounted between the plates at the remaining corners and are held in place by staples 3l. Between each unit and the adjacent unit, a spacing washer 32 is mounted on the rod and that portion of each rod which overlies an extension I3 carries a full complement of the units.

The plates 24 and the tabs 28 are made of porous material so that the liquid will rise therein by capillary action and ultimately saturate the entire element. Blotting paper of a good grade is satisfactory and an available paper of this sort has suiiicient strength to permit handling while wet.

The plates of the evaporating elements are of such size, that when they are mounted on the rods, they extend outwardly beyond the troughlike extensions a substantial distance, and the corners of the plates thus overlie the opening I4 between the extensions. The cover 20 is of a shape to conform to the edgesof the plates and has downwardly extending flanges 33 and a number of openings 34 therethrough.

, When the humidifier is mounted on a radiator, the upwardlyrising current of air from the radiator iiows through the opening I4 and also enters the space beneath the cover between the outer walls of the vessel and the anges 33. The air passes between adjacent plates and escapes through the openings in the cover, and in its travel, it flows between the closely spaced plates so as to take up moisture therefrom. Since there are a large number of plates, the total evaporating surface which they provide is such that an excellent humidifying eiect is obtained.

After the humidifier has been in use for a period of time, particles of dust may have collected on the surfaces of the plates to such an extent that the latter must be cleaned. For this purpose, the cover is removed and the rods with the humidifying elements thereon are lifted free of their supports. The elements are then slipped off the ends of the rods and may be washed and cleaned. The plates are then restored to the rods and the latter put back in their supports and the cover replaced.

The humidifying elements shown in Fig. 4 are similar to those above described, except that each element comprises a single plate 35 of porous material provided with spacing blocks 36 held in place by staples 31 and each plate is provided with a tab 38 which enters the liquid.

in Fig. 5, there is illustrated a modified form of the humidifier similar in all respects to that above described, except that instead of a single rod 23 for each group of plates, three rods 39 are provided. The rods 39 are supported on the end walls I8 of the vessel on brackets 22a similar to the brackets 22 and between adjacent plates 40 threaded on the rods are spacing washers 4I. Each plate has attached to its lower end by a staple 42 a pair of similar extensions 43, these extensions being at opposite faces of the plate.

By constructing the vessel with a reservoir section, the liquid may be replenished without diculty upon removal'of the cover. Also, the use of the reservoir section makes` it possible to provide an automatic water supply, including a valve controlled by a oat in the reservoir.

I claim:

1. A humidifier comprising a vessel containing liquid, said vessel having opposite walls extending above the level of the liquid, a rod detachably mounted on said walls above the liquid, a plurality of plates of porous material threaded on the rod and lying face to face, said plates having portions entering the liquid, and spacers on the rod separating adjacent plates.

2. A humidifier comprising a vessel containing liquid, said vessel having opposite Walls extending above the level of the liquid, a plurality of plates of porous material, a mounting for said plates above the liquid including a rod on which lthe plates are threaded near their upper ends so that the plates lie face to face, spacers on the rod separating adjacent plates, and means for detachably mounting said rod on said walls above the liquid, said plates having portions at their lower ends dipping into the liquid and the plates being suspended from said mounting and supported solely thereby.

3. A humidiiier comprising a vessel having a pair of trough-like portions lying parallel and spaced apart and containing liquid, said vessel having opposite Walls extending above the level of the liquid, a rod detachably mounted on said walls above each trough and labove the liquid therein and extending longitudinally of the trough, and a plurality of plates of porous material threaded on and suspended from each rod and lying in spaced relation, said plates having portions entering `the liquid in said trough-like portions of the vessel.

4. A humidier comprising a vessel having a trough-like portion containing liquid, a series of plates of porous material lying face to face in spaced relation, each of said plates being rectangular in shape and so disposed that one corner points upwardly, a mounting for the plates above said trough-like portion including a rod passing through the upper corners of the plates, said plates having portions at their lower ends dipping into the liquid, and the lateral corner portions of the plates projecting laterally over and beyond the side walls of said trough-like portion of the vessel.

5. A humidifier comprising a vessel having a trough-like portion containing liquid, a series of plates of porous material lying face to face in spaced relation, each of said plates being square in shape and so disposed that one lcorner points upwardly, a mounting for the plates above said trough-like portion including a rod passing through the upper corners of the plates, each of said plates having a square shaped tongue of porous material attached to the lower corner of the plate and dipping into said liquid, andthe lateral corner portions of each plate projecting laterally over and beyond the side walls of said trough-like portion of the vessel.

6. A humidifier comprising a vessel having a pair of trough-like portions lying parallel and spaced apart and containing liquid, a series of plates of porous materialu lying face to face in spaced relation above each trough-like portion, said plates being rectangular in shape and so disposed that one corner points upwardly, mountings for the plates above the trough-like portions, each mounting including a rod which passes through the upper corners of the plates of one series, the lower ends of the plates having portions which dip into the liquid in said trough-like portions and the lateral corner portions of the plates of each series projecting laterally over and beyond the sideA walls of the corresponding trough-like portion of the vessel.

7. A humidierwin accordance with claim 6 in which said vesselv has opposite walls extending above the level of the liquid and in which said rods are detachably mounted on said walls, and a perforated cover overlying the plates and detachably supported by said walls, said cover having portions inclined to conform with the inclination of the upper outer edges of the two series of plates.

8. A humidierl comprising a vessel having a trough-like portion containing liquid, a plurality of plates of porous material lying face to face in GEORGE R. SIEFKEN. 

